"A Pint of Bitter, Please."

Imperial Russian Stout would be recognised by UK beer drinkers, but I couldn't say what percentage. The Campaign for real ale (CAMRA) members and pub landlords ought to recognise it. However, you would be extremely unlikely to find it on draught. It would be found in bottles like those pictured. It would not be popular enough to be stocked in most public houses. Guinness still accounts for almost all of the Stout drunk in the UK in public houses. However, the huge rise of small craft breweries, regional brewers, and of micro-pubs, means that the variety of small batch and local brews made is now also huge, and a very different picture to when CAMRA was formed 50 years ago. While the rise in the variety of beers in the last 10-15 years was IPAs and American IPAs, more recently, Porters and Stouts have become more popular and have been tipped as the 'next big thing.' There are a number of Imperial Russian Stouts available. One caveat, Imperial Russian Stouts tend to be very strong and people going for a night out want to drink weak sessions ales (or porters) so that they can drink more than a few. As a result, I can't see it ever becoming very popular. It is something where you only drink one bottle at a time.
 
It is not something I have come across, but then I am not really a stout afficionado. I do like Guiness, but it is usually reserved for crappy hotel bars where the other options are not good. Or when cooking a beef stew.
 
That’s about 300yds from my home and, coincidentally, I was in there last night with some friends enjoying a pint of ‘Town Crier’ in front of a roaring log fire.

Edit: My mistake. That’s the Highley Station just down the line from Bridgnorth. They have a steam museum there that’s well worth a visit.
Well, is this close to you?

I do enjoy videos like these.

 
2 pints of Warrior in the Brunswick, Swansea
C0AC72B2-5E9B-4CE4-9C92-6E22AD9AA54C.jpeg
 
Goodbye to Bessie. Singular landlady of a singular pub. Just over the hill from my in-laws.


Anyone reading the article who wonders why they celebrate New Year on Jan 13, the folk of Cwm Gwaun never saw the need to abandon the old Julian calendar when the rest of the land moved over to the Gregorian in the 1750s.
 
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Trial and error.
Excellent space saving approach. I'm popping out for a pint later, and will give it a go.
Incidentally, I'm in the UK for a bit, so will get to drink some 'proper' bitter. I'm hoping the pub will have flat, tepid and reasonably weak ale...
 
View attachment 117260An excellent bar in Bishop’s Castle, Shrops. I recommend the Solstice ale, if any of you ever get the chance.
Looks great. The interesting thing here to note is that all of these excellent looking beverages are a sensible alcoholic strength. Here in NZ, you can't find any decent such beer. It's all cloudy, microbrewery, somewhat Americanised, overly strong rubbish. My local - which I go to only for the weekly pub quiz - is like a US style sports bar, and the only beer I can even stomach is Heineken, which tells you everything. All the other beer either has fruit in it ('summer' beer, for goodness sake), or is strangely cloudy (it's a thing here), tastes horrid, and it's all 5.6% or more in ABV (apart from the Heineken, which I'm 'forced' to buy as the only option).
 
Looks great. The interesting thing here to note is that all of these excellent looking beverages are a sensible alcoholic strength. Here in NZ, you can't find any decent such beer. It's all cloudy, microbrewery, somewhat Americanised, overly strong rubbish. My local - which I go to only for the weekly pub quiz - is like a US style sports bar, and the only beer I can even stomach is Heineken, which tells you everything. All the other beer either has fruit in it ('summer' beer, for goodness sake), or is strangely cloudy (it's a thing here), tastes horrid, and it's all 5.6% or more in ABV (apart from the Heineken, which I'm 'forced' to buy as the only option).
Yep. Thats why I brew my own. I only use English hops (3.5-4.7ph) and some German hops (I'll take what I can, the higher the ph, the less I use), and only to balance out the sweetness. And the yeast I use is White Labs WLP005 British Ale yest. 2 weeks primary fermentation then 4-7 days secondary/clarification. After bottling (Pints) it's another 4-5 months of conditioning before I'll craft one.

I have been home brewing for so long (35+ years) that I can tell at each step how's it going. After bottling I'll visually check a few 4-5 time a week to see if they are clarifying out and see it the caps are sealing properly.

Also, I don't like IPA's of any kind. I want the hops to balance the sweetness, not purge my system...:sick: Just me...

One must accept such privations in the colonies.

Yep. But there are a few, very few, brew pubs that make a decent pint. If you can find them, that is.
 
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